* Salinas-Monterey County Jail Escape Inmates Captured

The Monterey County Sheriff’s Department is investigating an escape attempt by three inmates who slipped out of Monterey County jail through a barbed wire fence in an exercise yard this morning. The jailbreak occurred at about 9:30 a.m. at the main jail at 1410 Natividad Road in Salinas. The inmates were captured and taken into custody about half an hour later at three different locations, Richards said. Cmdr. Mike Richards identified the inmates as Ezequiel Gonzalez, 32, Angel Ocampo, 18, and Jorge Rico, 28. All were considered dangerous, Richards said. The inmates were found near a local hospital next to the jail, along a nearby creek bed, and in the area of the county yard on Laurel Drive. “A jailbreak hasn’t happened at our main jail facility in years,” Richards said. The California Highway Patrol and Salinas police also assisted in the capture.